Lineman&#39;s protector



Sept. 19, 1939. F. L. PITTMAN 2,173,634

LINEMANS PROTECTOR Filed July 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 9/ 1. Fig. 2.

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' Sept. '19, 1939. F PlTTMAN 2,173,634

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Fl. Pl'ff rna C itomump WITNESS Sept. 19, 1939. F. 1.. PITTMAN 2,173,634

LINEMANS PROTECTOR Filed July 28, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1/ Fig. I

Patented Sept. 19, 1939 PATENT OFFiCE LINEMAN S PROTECTOR Franklin L. Pittman, Frankfort, N. Y., assignor of one-third to John Van Vorst Application July 28, 1938, Serial No. 221,742

16 Claims.

The invention relates to devices for protecting linemen against electrical shocks and burns when working on the poles of power lines, and it aims to provide a new and improved device which may be readily carried with the customary linemens equipment, may be quickly and easily applied when needed, and will not only protect against the wires but against the bracket which carries the wire-supporting insulators.

A further object is to provide a novel construction which may be adjusted for use with different brackets regardless of the spacings of the insulators carried thereby.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing one form of the protector immediately prior to fastening in operative position and prior to attachment of the curtains.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing one of the curtains attached and illustrating the lower portion of the protector in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, all of the curtains, however, being attached.

Fig. 4. is a horizontal sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3.

said figures and briefly described as follows. 1

denotes a vertically elongated attaching plate having a central vertical ridge 8 through which the bolts 9 pass for securing said bracket to the pole Iii. Also secured to the ridge 8 are outwardly projecting arms ll through which a vertical bolt l2 passes, said bolt extending through the insulators E3 to which the wires M are secured by conventional means 15.

The protector comprises a vertically elongated longitudinally channeled member molded from rubber or similar material, said member being of a size to enclose the insulator bracket, the insulators, and portions of the wires immediately adjacent said insulators. The elongated channeled body is denoted in a general way by the reference character It, said body being preferably closed at both of its ends. At suitable intervals, depending upon the number of wires and insulators, the channeled member I6 is provided with transverse notches H which open through the central longitudinal portion of said member, through the side walls of said member, and through one longitudinal ledge portion of said member, but not through the other longitudinal edge portion thereof. These notches permit easy engagement of the protector with the insulator bracket by accommodating the wires M, it being of course understood that the device is initially placed at the sides of the wires toward the pole I0 and is then moved arcuately into operative position in which it encloses the insulators and the bracket with the wires l4 extending through the notches ii.

The longitudinal edge portion of the member [6 through which the notches I! do not open, is preferably in the form of a vertically elongated connecting strip l8. Another vertically elongated connecting strip I9 is provided to close the open ends of the notches H at the other longitudinal edge of the protector, provision being made for connecting the portions of said protector above and below the notches H, with said strip iii.

In the preferred manner of constructing the invention, three visor-like cowls 26, 2i and Z2 and an inverted cowl 23, are all formed integrally at their inner ends with the connecting strip 88, and the connecting strip I9 is pivoted at 24 to the rear or inner end of the cowl 26), said strip being provided with means for temporarily connecting it with the cowls 2i, 22 and 23. In the present showing, buttons 25 are provided on the strip i9 for engagement with the buttonholes 2% formed-through portions of the cowls 2!, 22 and 23.

The cowl lil is provided with an internal supporting lug 2t notched at 28 to straddle the uppermost of the arms I l, and each of the cowls 2i and 22 is provided with an integral upstanding vertically channeled portion 21 to yieldably grip the rod i2 when the protector is in place, thereby holding the entire protector in place, as well as covering the portions of said rod i2 between the arms 5 I. At one vertical edge, each of the rod gripping or clip portions 2'! is integral with the connecting strip l8 as shown at 28, the other longitudinal edge portion being provided holes 34 engageable with said buttons.

with a flange 29 through which the button-hole 28 is formed. The upper cowl 2B is preferably provided with angular flanges 36 and the cowl 23 with similar flanges 3! all coacting with the strip l8 and the strip is in forming a continuous rim or frame rather snugly surrounding the attaching plate '3 of the insulator bracket when the device is in operative position.

Suitable curtains 32 are provided for connection with the cowls 20, 2| and 22 to hang across the notches I7 and cover portions of the wires it. To permit easy attachment and detachment of these curtains, I preferably provide the cowls with buttons 33 and the curtains with button- The major portion of the protector is applied while the curtains 32 are detached, the strip 59 being outwardly swingable during application. This strip is then swung inwardly and the buttonholes 25 are engaged with the buttons 25, the grip of the portions 21 on the rod l2 serving to effectively hold the protector in place. The curtains 32 may be quickly and easily applied, and the complete asemblage will effectively prevent the lineman from touching the insulators, the bracket or portions of the wires immediately adjacent thereto. When the device has served its purpose, it may be quickly and easily removed and carried with the rest of the linemans equipment until again needed.

In Figs. '7 and 8, the cowls 2W, 2M, 22 and 23 are adjustably connected with the strips 13 and 59 permitting vertical adjustment 0 said cowls for use with different insulator spacings. These cowls are also individually detachable from the strips Hi and w permitting use of any required number of said cowls and removal of those not needed, according to the kind of insulator and bracket assembly with which the invention is being used.

For illustrative purposes, to accomplish the adjustability and detachability of the cowls, tongue-and-groove connections are provided between said cowls and the strips w and i9 the tongues 25 being integral with said strips, and the grooves 25 being formed in the thickened edge portions 26* of the cowls. The opposite sides of the tongues 25 are preferably grooved as shown at 25', and the walls of the grooves 2% are ribbed at 26 to snugly engage the grooves 25 All parts being of rubber, the cowls may be snapped off and on at will and they may obviously be adjusted vertically into any desired spaced relation.

Aside from the differences above described, the device of Figs. 7 and 8 is substantially the same as that of Figs. 1 to 6.

It will be seen from the foregoing that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention, and while preferred details have been disclosed, variations may, of course, be made within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1.. A linemans protector comprising a vertically elongated longitudinally channeled insulating member to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, said protector having vertically spaced notches to receive the insulator-carried wires when the protector is applied.

2. A linemans protector comprising a vertically elongatd longitudinally channeled insulating member to illCiDSG vertically spaced bracket-carried insula" era and the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, said protector having vertically spaced notches to receive the insulator-carried Wires when the protector is applied, said notches opening through the front, the sides and one longitudinal edge portion of said channeled member but not through the other longitudinal edge portion thereof, whereby said channeled member may be readily moved into operative position and said longitudinal edge portions may abut the pole, a connector for the portions of said channeled member above and below said notches, said connector extending longitudinally of said one edge of said channeled member, and means for detachably connecting said portions above and below the notches with said connector.

3. A linemans protector comprising a vertically elongated longitudinally channeled insulating member to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, said protector having vertically spaced notches to receive the insulator-carried wires when the protector is applied, said channeled member being provided with clip portions to yieldably grip portions of the insulator bracket to hold the protector in place.

4. A linemans protector comprising a vertically elongated longitudinally channeled insulating member to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, said protector having vertically spaced notches to receive the insulator-carried wires when the protector is applied, said channeled member being formed of resilient material and having integral clip portions to yieldably grip portions of the insulator bracket to hold the protector in place.

5. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of vertically spaced visor-like insulatin cowls to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and portions of the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, and vertically extending means connecting said cowls with each other.

6. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of vertically spaced visor-like insulating cowls to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and portions of the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, a vertically elongated connector unitarily connecting said cowls and disposed at the inner ends thereof, a second vertically elongated connector disposed at the inner ends of said cowls, and means for releasably holding said second connector in cowl-connecting position, the two connectors being disposed in spaced relation to lie against the pole at opposite sides of the insulator bracket.

'7. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of vertically spaced visor-like insulating cowls to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and portions of the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, some of said cowls being provided with integral clip portions to yieldably grip portions of the insulator bracket to hold the cowls in operative position, and vertically extending means connecting said cowls with each other.

8. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of vertically spaced visor-like insulating cowls to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried insulators and portions of the pole-carried bracket for said insulators, said cowls being formed of resilient material, some of said cowls having upstanding integral vertically channeled portions to enclose and yieldably grip portions of the insulator bracket to hold the cowls in operative position, and vertically extending means connecting said cowls with each other.

9. A structure as specified in claim 1; together with insulating curtains connected with said channeled member over said notches and hanging across the latter.

10. A structure as specified in claim 5; together with insulating curtains suspended from said cowls to hang across the spaces between said cowls.

11. A linemans protector comprising spaced substantially parallel strips to lie against a pole at opposite sides of an insulator bracket, and vertically spaced insulator covers of insulating material extending from one of said strips to the other and connected with said strips.

12. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of Vertically spaced insulator covers of insulating material, and means connecting said covers and constructed to allow relative vertical adjustment thereof.

13. A linemans protector comprising spaced substantially parallel strips to lie against a pole at opposite sides of an insulator bracket, vertically spaced insulator covers of insulating material extending from one of said strips to the other, and means connecting said covers with said strips and constructed to allow relative vertical adjustment of said covers.

14. A linemans protector comprising spaced substantially parallel strips to lie against a pole at opposite sides of an insulator bracket, vertically spaced insulator covers of insulating material extending from one of said strips to the other, and means detachably connecting said covers with said strips and constructed to allow relative vertical adjustment of said covers.

15. A linemans protector comprising spaced substantially parallel strips to lie against a pole at opposite sides of an insulator bracket, vertically spaced insulator covers of insulating material extending from one of said strips to: the other, and vertical tongue-and-groove connections between said covers and said strips, permitting relative vertical adjustment of said covers.

16. A linemans protector comprising a plurality of vertically spaced visor-like insulating cowls to enclose vertically spaced bracket-carried i11- ulators and portions of the pole-carried brackets for said insulators, some of said cowls being provided with internal clip portions to yieldably grip portions of the insulator bracket to hold the cowls in operative position, and vertically extend- 25 ing means connecting said cowls with each other,

FRANKLIN L. PITTIVIAN. 

